Tulips of Truth [Ⓗⓤⓝⓣⓔⓡ Ⓧ Ⓗⓤⓝⓣⓔⓡ]

Chapter 2: Phase x One

When the bus stopped at a city bus stop, Cassandra got off and brought her tote bag strap over her shoulder. She thanked the driver before watching the bus leave, possibly going to give tours to people visiting. "Now I just have to find the main site for the Hunter Exam..." she thought.

That's when she saw a small ramen restaurant next to a tall building. Entering the small building, the chef welcomed her without looking at her. Rude. She then asked if the back room was open. "What can I get you today?" the chef asked.

Oh, goodie, she thought. While on the bus ride to the "exam site", the driver had told her the password. And although she prided herself in not having a good memory, she could remember this one bit of information. "The steak combo that opens your eyes to the light. For one. Grilled over a low flame until cooked," Cassandra replied.

The chef nodded, opening the door for the redhead to go inside. She sat at a table as the door closed. Above the doorway was a screen. It was like an elevator. All of a sudden, her phone rang inside her bag. Cassandra picked it up and saw it was one of her orphan friends; Ashlynn. "Hey there, Cass! Did you make it to the Hunter Exam?" she asked.

It sounded like she was outside, for other children were playing. An attendant seemed to also be there, watching the children. "I made it on the bus, and now I'm sitting in a room. Hopefully, it leads to where the Hunter Exam starts," Cassandra replied.

Ashlynn giggled on the other end of the phone. "I'm sure it is! You never know. Or it could be some kind of trap to keep you there for ages to come," she said.

Cassandra rolled her eyes. Ashlynn's dark humor was embedded into her mind. She was a girl with olive skin and pink pigtails with black streaks, and she always wore black dresses with white socks and black Mary Janes, similar to the redhead's shoes. She was one of the darker children out of the more light-hearted ones in the orphanage; not just because of her dark humor. She was always reading dark books. Ones about gore, horror, and death. However, Ashlynn was nothing more than a sweetheart to adults, treating them like they were her parents. "Okay, that's enough attempting to haunt me, Ash. What's the main point of you calling me?" Cassandra asked, a leg over the other.

Ashlynn stayed quiet for a bit before speaking. "I just wanted to wish you good luck on the Hunter Exam, Cass. I was sick when you left that day. And... I was sad to hear that you were gone..."

It sounded like she was on the verge of tears. Cassandra could imagine her lip quivering. She could see her eyes watering as her hands trembled. The redhead sighed and assured the child that she would be okay. "And guess what? When I become a certified Hunter, I'll be back. But I'll be a caretaker when I return," she said.

There was a sudden pang of hurt in Ashlynn's heart when she heard that. But she swallowed her sobs and nodded, hanging up without a word. Cassandra sighed again as the door behind her opened. She had ended up in some sort of big tunnel with hundreds of other Hunter Exam applicants. Of the many, a few of them were female. Very few. "Jesus... There are so many people...!" Cassandra thought.

All of a sudden, a small man with green skin walked to her. "Here's your badge. Keep it on you at all times," he said.

Her badge read the number 406. She stood and waited as a guy approached her. He wore blue and had a badge on his shirt. "Hi there! Are you a rookie?"

Cassandra blinked, then nodded, not uttering a single word. "Well, my name's Tonpa. I have some juice for you to have. Cheers to new friends?" he said with a hint of someone offering something.

The redhead hesitantly took the can of juice from his hand, but before she could sip it, something in her senses spiked. She could tell something wasn't right about Tonpa's orange juice. So instead of sipping the aforementioned juice, she crushed the can with one hand, watching as the orange liquid spilled onto the floor. People that happened to be standing around watched in shock. "Sorry, but I just don't like this kind of juice. I guess you can say my allergies almost kicked in," Cassandra said, walking off.

It was a lie. Cassandra had no allergies. She just knew it had some sort of secret ingredient. In reality, it would've made her sick to her stomach, and that's not going into the major details. Cassandra moved her large braid and went to sit on the side where she took her black flats off, replacing them with the running shoes she had packed. By the looks of it, the Hunter Exam was going to be more athletic than she intended. That's when– "Excuse me, ma'am!"

Cassandra looked up to see a pudgy boy with slicked-back hair, a white dress shirt, suspenders, a red bow tie, and pants with Oxfords. "You must be Cassandra O'Sullivan, right? You're one of the many rookies. And not a lot of females join the Hunter Exam, so you should be proud of yourself."

He was carrying a laptop, trying to make himself look smart. Or was he cheating? Cassandra exhaled and nodded, pushing her glasses as someone spoke at the front of the group of over 400 applicants. "I apologize for the wait. The entry period for Hunter applicants has ended. The Hunter Exam will now begin! A final caution. If you are short on luck or ability, you could very well end up seriously injured or even dead. Those who accept the risks, please follow me. Otherwise, please exit via the elevator behind you."

There was a long silence among the many applicants as no one walked to the elevator. "Very well. All 406 applicants will participate in Phase One. Of course, no one turned around and left. I'd hoped a few might withdraw."

And with that, the exam started. The man at the front began walking, and the others followed. Cassandra told herself to stay in the back so as not to get trampled over by the other people. "I neglected to introduce myself. I am Satotz, the Phase One examiner. I shall lead you to the exam's Second Phase," the man said as he continued running.

"What do you mean by the second phase?!" someone asked.

"What about the first one?" another person asked.

Satotz explained that they were taking part in the first phase. Honestly, have they been listening? As the many feet ran along the path, people began to fall in exhaustion. Cassandra could hear that same boy with slick-backed hair calculating the run. He STILL held his computer in one arm as his other hand typed away. "We're almost at the end," he said.

"I wouldn't count on it. Madam Charanet said that this would be a tough exam to partake in. But I have faith in myself and my body," Cassandra thought.

And so she continued running, keeping one thought in her mind; the Hunter Exam wasn't going to be easy. But she would truck through and come out stronger than before.